Word Wars
by swimmerreader
Summary: "You mean, you think I'm being officious? Are all my efforts simply extraneous?"  The little girl froze in the middle of clearing her face of fresh tears. Her expression changed slightly. Still extremely mad, but ready beat down her mother in this game.


**So it's finals week at my school. And English shall be a breeze. Except for a few choice vocab words that I do not know. So instead of making flash cards, or quizzing myself until I puke, I wrote a story! With the words in them! NERDFIGHTERS! Enjoy my horrible study story!**

"Mom, you're such a… anathema!" The eight year girl slammed her door on her dumbstruck mother.

Annabeth glanced at her husband, staring open mouthed at their daughter's closed room.

She shot Percy a half smile, half grimace. "Only a child of mine could insult me at a tenth-grade level."

Percy turned his head to her, his eyes gaping wide. "What did that word even _mean?_" he whispered, half in awe.

"It means a hated person, or like a… formal curse." She answered.

"Wow," Percy said. "Seems a little jaundiced, considering Melody hasn't even known you for a decade. And so rude too, I didn't think she was that gauche." He shot her a bashful smile.

Annabeth caught on immediately, and her half smile turned into a real one.

"I'm impressed Percy, jaundiced? And gauche?" His diffident smile switched to a jaunty one.

"Well, I figured if our second- grader could use big words, why can't I?"

Annabeth gave a laugh, but it caught in the middle.

His smile died down, and he opened his arms for a hug, which Annabeth accepted.

"It really hurt, what she said, didn't it?" he murmured into her hair.

"It's not so much that it hurt, I mean, it did of course. But she's just saying these things, and their completely ostensible! You know what I mean?" she looked up from her headrest on his shoulder.

"Er, sure." She knew him to well though.

"Ostensible means it's not true, even though someone says it is." She explained.

"Oh. Right," he blushed. "You know, maybe you should tell Melody that, she's probably old enough to hear what you believe, and you'd be able to use big words without hurting her feelings." He joked.

Annabeth brightened up considerably at this option, and immediately reversed back into the best kind of flirting she knew: higher-than-thou banter. "You mean, tell her about my _credences _in an _erudite _fashion?"

Percy closed his eyes, and released her from his grasp. "Go play word games with Melody."

…

"Melody sweetie," she tapped lightly on her daughter's door. "Could I come in?"

There was a muffled grunt and the sound of something, probably a pillow, hitting the doorframe. Annabeth took it as a yes, and walked in.

At the sound of her mother's entry, Melody flipped from facedown on her bed to sitting straight up.

"Mom! Get out of here! Or was I not clear enough? I don't want to be around you." She wiped the tears from her face with the oversized teddy bear she clutched, as if hoping that her mom hadn't seen them yet despite her bright red, puffy face.

Annabeth ignored her daughter's candid words, knowing, from the attempt to hide her tears, she didn't really mean them.

She took slow and measured steps towards her daughter. "I just want to help, honey."

Melody's anger flared with the pet name. "Yeah, well I don't _want_ your help!"

She smiled, sensing her opportunity. "You mean, you think I'm being officious? Are all my efforts simply extraneous?"

The little girl froze in the middle of clearing her face of fresh tears. Her expression changed slightly. Still extremely mad, but ready beat down her mother in this game.

"Yes, that's what I meant. All I feel now is rancor towards you. You can be a complete bigot sometimes."

Annabeth's face stayed in the carefully constructed, playfully amused mask she had set it in. But her eyes showed the pain those words caused her. Extreme hatred? Racist? Harsh.

"Are you referring to the fact that Chiron roomed in the Poseidon cabin?" she was pleased when her voice didn't shake.

Melody raised her eyebrows, surprised that her mom had given up on their game so easily.

"Because I wouldn't call myself a bigot against Poseidon, considering your daddy is one of his sons," Melody cracked a half grin so similar to the one her mother wore not five minutes ago. "I would revise that statement to having… jingoism towards the Athena cabin. So of course I'm a bit ambivalent about you living in your dad's old house. Melody, you're so brilliant, clever, and simply demure, it boggles me that someone like you could be sorted to your dad!" Melody's thin face turned thoughtful, and slightly confused.

"Sorry, sweetie, I just wanted to be honest with you, did I make any sense?"

Melody stared steadily at the grey and blue flannel of her quilt.

"Mom, you know I'm the first Greek half-blood to be born of two demigods in nearly a century," It wasn't a question. "So no one really knew where I should stay, you know all of this of course, but for the sake of back story… Anyways, I wanted to make you and Daddy proud of me, so was a dilettante in swimming and in my education. And I guess I excelled in both, but really I just didn't want to be an ignominy to either of you guys."

Annabeth started to interrupt, but Melody put her tiny hand in the air to stop her.

"And I don't think either of you meant to, but you put me under a lot of pressure to follow in both of your footsteps. I guess my cabin was a like a physical representation of which one of you I had… chosen I guess. And I don't think either of you meant to but you kind of… oh what's the word, coerced me into being like both of you." She looked up from her mattress.

"Um, that wasn't really the word I wanted, I meant you both pushed me to be like you… oh this is so repetitive! Did you get it?" There was fear in her eyes.

"I got it," she assured her quickly. "So I guess I wasn't very clement towards you, was I? Both before and after your cabin was chosen."

"No, it's not your fault Mommy! I've had a little temerity streak." She offered a watery grin.

"I concur. You want to tell me why?" Annabeth sat down on the edge of the small bed.

"Well first off, concur is totally _not_ a big word, Mommy." She smiled up at her. A real smile. "And well, I guess it just, and don't take this the wrong way, I felt a little bit like I'd been jettisoned from camp from all of the Athena kids."

"Oh?" Annabeth began to mentally decide how to castigate her siblings.

"Yeah, and don't tell Daddy, but I do like the Camp's library more than I like the lake, so it felt like I belonged with the Athena kids, then once I started to room in Poseidon's cabin, I got a little bit rowdy. So when I messed up, it was like I was extradited from them. Another counselor gave me chores, you know? And I don't know why but I thought that if I did something bad enough then their counselor would help me again." She gripped her stuffed bear tighter, bracing for the rebuke.

"Melody… you know that's not how to do things! But… I understand. But just know that they don't hate you, and I honestly don't think that they're consciously ostracizing you. And if they are, well, then I can fix that."

**Mostly dialogue, I know. But I'm exhausted. And now I know my words! Yay! Well, except for a few. But I can review those here if you'd like(: You wouldn't? Too bad. **

**Destitute: extremely poor. Destitute: extremely poor. Destitute: extremely poor.**

**Avarice: a desire for wealth. Avarice: a desire for wealth. Avarice: a desire for wealth**

**Sorry it sucked, I know I haven't written in about 6 months. No I don't know when another chapter of The Plan is coming… but it will! I have faith in that story! I just don't want to post a crappy chapter so I may post a few one shots to get me back into things… hopefully… **

**You're still reading this? Wow. I'm impressed. This AN is to freaking long. So I love you for reading all of it3**

**Please review!**


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